Chapter 24

I slowly opened my sore eyes. My head was pounding, but my body felt a bit better. Looking around, I could see I was back at the camp.

"Allan?" I called out. I could hear feet patter over. 

Allan was standing over me. "My dear." I tried to sir up, but Allan kept me down. "I'm not being funny or anything but, take it easy. Your body needs time to fully health."

I grabbed Allan's shirt and pulled him to me. "I've missed you." I softly told Allan before kissing him.

"Well, I've missed you." His voice was smooth and beautiful, just like I remember. Allan's accent made his words sound funny. I missed him so much.

"So, tell me, what happened the past few days."

Allan chuckled. "The usual. We looked for you. There was a horrible drought. I've been worried sick about you. Much really misses Kate."

"Do you miss Kate?" My voice made my word sound bitter than it was supposed to.

Allan sighed. "Why would I miss her? You're the one I'm going to marry."

"I don't know. I just thought you might miss her quick insults or her bright ideas."

Allan placed his hand on the side of my face. "Sirena, you got to let Kate go. She's dead and you're the one I love. You ought to that. I help a couple and their little boy the other day." Allan looked down and smiled. "Seeing them and how happy they were made me think. I've been thinking about us and starting a family together. Of course, after we get married."

I looked at Allan with a huge grin on my face. "I'd love that, so much." I breathed and hugged my tightly.

●●●●

After a few days I was back to normal. I was with Allan, Much, and Robin in the Sherwood forest. Robin was teaching Much how to fight. They were practicing. Allan leaned against a tree with my small sliver mirror in his hands. I was standing on the opposite side of were Allan stood.

I was trying to block the light out of my face, the light Allan was deliberately shining at me. "Allan!" I scolded.

Allan chuckled. "What?"

"Much! You don't go easy just because it's training!" Robin shouted.

"I'm trying not to hurt you." Much replied.

I strolled over to Allan.

"You're not going to hurt him if you never hit him, are you?" Allan sarcastically said to Much. He was trying to shine the beem of light in Much's eyes right as Robin and Much started to fight again. Allan somehow managed to do it. Much ran into a tree because Allan blinded him. Allan and I started to laughed.

Much was laying on the ground, holding his head.

"Blinding!" Allan laughed.

"Allan." I scolded again. I went over to Much to see if he was alright.

Then John and Tuck ran down the hill to where we stood.

"Robin!" John shouted. "We've hust seen a royal carriage on the north road." John said, out of breath.

"It's carrying the King's insignia, not the Prince's." Tuck explained, also out of breath.

"Let's go." Robin ordered.

"Get up." I said, pulling at Much's arm. "Allan, help me."

Allan came over and helped me get Much up. Allan and I started to laugh at Much because he was a bit dizzy when he stood.

We headed to Nottingham to see what was up with this carriage. I clinged to Allen's arm as all of us watched the carriage, while hiding behind our hoods.

"It's Sheridan." Much whispered from behind.

Sheridan?

"Who?" I asked.

Tuck looked over at me. "The keeper of the Crown."

Then Robin tuned in. "He used to be the King's favorite trainer of the knight's. He trained me."

That's when Prince John ran our of the castle. Some guards lifted a coffin out of the carriage and set it down. The prince fell onto it, crying no.

"People of Nottingham." Sheridan loudly said. "It is your great sadness, but also to your great honor that you are the first to know of the death of Kind Richard."

The crowd of people started to murmur as I buried myself into Allan.

"The lionheart met his glorious end in battle with the infidel." Sheridan had no sadness in his voice.

My head rested on his chest as I watched Sheridan help Prince John up.

"I thank you for your sympathy." The Prince cried.

Actually, I didn't really sound like he was crying. It sounds more like fake crying....

"And for your love. The Archbishop of Canterbury is on his way to bless my brother's body. And through there are not the circumstances I would have wished for, in the interests of stability and national security, he will also oversee my coronation." The Prince walked away from the coffin.

"The Kind is dead. Long live the King!" Sheridan yelled, then kneeling.

Everyone else kneeled and shouted 'Ling live the King.'

●●●●

"Is the King really dead?" I asked everyone.

"He's not dead! He can't be!" Robin shouted.

"Robin, the guards." John said, trying to calm Robin down before the guards notice us.

"John, I'd know if he was dead. I'd feel it." Robin snapped at John.

I looked up at Allan, who was looking down at me.

"I don't think the King is really dead." I whispered in Allan's ear.

"Don't get your hopes up." He replied.

"This Sheridan, is he a man you trust?" Tuck asked Robin.

Robin had his hands on his hips. "He used to be one of the King's best. But now, obviously, he's gone with Prince John." There was a angry tone to his voice.

"We all share your grief, Robin." Tuck calmly said.

"I need to see his face. I need to know for sure." Robin harshly said, leaving us.

●●●●

We went to Kirklees Abbey. It was dark by the time we got there. Tuck and John were on a team, while Robin, Much, Allan, and I were on a time. We were taking out the guards. Allan picked the lock door and got it opened. I went with Much and Robin into the Abbey, while the rest stayed outside as lookout. Much seemed to be scared that we were near ded bodies.

"That's the idea, Much. Come on." Robin told him.

Much walked up next to me. "You can hold my hand if you get scared." Much sweet offered.

"Thanks, but I think you need it more than I do..." I answered.

"Come on. Help get it off." Robin whispered to us.

We helped Robin to open the coffin. Robin was convinced that it was the King, but I wasn't. I stuck my candle close to the ear of the dead King. Robin tried to stop me, but I continued on. The ear started to melt. Much was making weird noises because he was grossed out.

"It's wax." I told Robin.

Robin was confused. "What?"

"It's a waxword made to look like King Richard." I explained.

When that processed through his brain, we all laughed , quietly.

"I knew it. I knew he was still alive." Robin said, his voice full of happiness.

We suddenly heard Allan whistle, someone was coming.

"Where do we hide?" I questioned as we quickly put the lid back on.

Much climbed into a coffin. I hid with Robin. Prince John had beat the wax and ordered it to be destroyed. When they were gone, Much helped me out.

"We have to stop them from destroying that thing." Robin said to Much and I.

"How? There could be loads of them." Much replied with a tremble in his voice.

"We need a cloak." Robin brightly answered.

Robin's idea was to scare the guards that are bring the wax. I sat on top of Allan's shoulders while I held a skull as mask. There was a giant cloak that covered us. We came up behind the guards. Allan was making this low moaning sound.

When the two guards turned around, they were so scared they bolted. I took off the the cloak and skull. Tuck reached up and grabbed me off of Allan. John and Robin ran over to the metal coffin and quickly took it off of the fire. When Robin opened the coffin, the wax was already melted.

"We can still tell the archbishop. Tell him the truth." Much suggested.

"He already think he's seen the body. It'll be our word against there's." Robin angrily spat.

"We can't let the Prince take power like this. We have to stop it. Assassinate him, if we have to." Tuck sounded frustrated.

Robin was frustrated as well. "If we assassinate him, Tuck, we risk invasion. Civil war, even."

"This is treason!" Tuck gritted his teeth.

"I know. And I hate him as much as you do, but while Richard is away, Prince John is our only leader." Robin argued harshly.

I went over to Allan and buried my head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and combed my hair with his fingers.

Robin came up with an idea to steal the crown. To stop Prince John from being King. And to that we had to find the crown first. So... To find the crown we have to find the keeper, Sheridan.

●●●●

Allan was the service to Sheridan and I was a drunken maid with Robin. At the right moment I went into the private room, Robin and Sheridan were in. My everything was showing and popping out. The Sheridan pulled me onto his lap and called for service, Allan.

"Sir." Allan said, quickly coming in.

He looked so cute. His hair was slicked back and he had this boyish charm to him.

"You will make me tipsy." I laughed with girlish and drunkish tone.

"Sirena, this is private." Robin roughly imformed. "I told you to wait outside."

As I distracted Sheridan, Robin took the key off his belt. Robin spilled his drink and quickly left. Allan looked at me with concern, but he soon left as well. I think I play a drunk women quite well. Sheridan was quite handsy, which was nasty! I had to sir with the Sheridan and keep at the pub. When he wanted to go, I had to come up with an excuse.

"I'll only let you go if you beat me at arm wrestling." I giggled. "Oh, come on. Look at those muscles. Don't you think you can beat some my size?" I placed my right arm on the table and waited for him to join.

"Well..." Sheridan gripped my hand and sat down. "If you insist."

I had to use my other hand to try and win, but that didn't work because we fell on the ground and started to laugh. Sheridan was on top of me.

"Hey! Hey, get off her!" Allan shouted, pulling Sheridan off me.

"Unhand me!" Sheridan drunkenly shouted.

"A plan's a plan, Sirena. It's gone too far." Allan shouted at me with anger in his voice.

"Plan? What plan?" My keys! Locksley" Sheridan figured it out.

I had to act. I grabbed a bottle and shamed it over his head. When he fell to the ground, I looked at Allan.

"Let's go!" I shouted, running.

Allan kicked him before leaving.

I'm pretty sure Allan was jealous. He didn't like seeing another man on me.

●●●●

Allan and I went back to the camp. I changed out of the revealing dress.

"I thought you were in danger." Allan said as I pulled my back.

"Allan, everything was fine. I think it's cute that you were jealous, but if Robin gets caught... oh, Allan. You will have it."

When Robin and Tuck came back, they had the crown, but guards followed them. Robin had to get the crown to London, so the rest of us are going to take care of the guards. We all put on our cloaks and grabbed a bag. Then we went into the forest and made the guards chase after us. It was kinda fun. We ran all around the forest, distracting the guards. They were so stupid to follow us.

Robin didn't make it out. The Sheridan got the crown. Tuck made a plan to steal the crown back.

We interfered at the right moment. Guy showed up and tried to kill the Prince. Of course that didn't work. I got the crown and we quickly ran. We stopped the Archbishop to give him the crown.